Preparticipation Screening of Athletes: The Prevalence of Positive Family History.

Sudden cardiac death (SCD) is a leading cause of death among athletes, and those with a positive family history (FH) of SCD and/or cardiovascular disease (CVD) may be at increased risk. The primary objective of this study was to assess the prevalence and predictors of positive FH of SCD and CVD in athletes using four widely used preparticipation screening (PPS) systems. The secondary objective was to compare the functionality of the screening systems.

Gene- and variant-specific efficacy of serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 inhibition in long QT syndrome types 1 and 2.

Aims: Current long QT syndrome (LQTS) therapy, largely based on beta-blockade, does not prevent arrhythmias in all patients; therefore, novel therapies are warranted. Pharmacological inhibition of the serum/glucocorticoid-regulated kinase 1 (SGK1-Inh) has been shown to shorten action potential duration (APD) in LQTS type 3. We aimed to investigate whether SGK1-Inh could similarly shorten APD in LQTS types 1 and 2.

Challenges in cardiology: diagnosis of native and prosthetic valve endocarditis.

New cardiovascular imaging technologies have strongly influenced the diagnosis of bacterial endocarditis [infective endocarditis (IE)]. The clinical presentation of IE is polymorphic, which explains the difficulty of diagnosis and the delay in treatment. Symptoms such as fever, chills, loss of appetite and weight, and embolic phenomena strongly support the diagnosis of endocarditis, but are not always present, particularly in elderly or immuno-compromised patients.

Congenitally uncorrected transposition of the great arteries in a pregnant woman 26-year-old: Description and literature review.

Complex congenital heart disease and pregnancy are a challenge and delicate medical situation. We describe a first-time pregnancy of a woman living with an uncorrected d-transposition of the great arteries (TGA) with serious fetal complications required multidisciplinary assessment. Twenty-six years old primigravida referred to our cardiology center in 34 weeks of gestation with peripheral cyanosis.

Crochet Leads the Way.

The crochetage sign-a notch near the R-wave peak in the inferior leads-in conjunction with right axis deviation, complete or incomplete right bundle branch block, and right ventricular hypertrophy (R/S ratio >1 in lead V1) on 12-lead electrocardiogram are highly suggestive of atrial septal defect. ().

Extracorporeal Membrane Oxygenation (ECMO) in an Infant with COVID-19: A Case Report with Literature Review.

Background: SARS-CoV-2 infection tends to be lethal to the elderly population. However, sometimes children are also involved.

Case Presentation: We present the case of a female infant with a corrected gestational age of 39 weeks and 4 days with severe COVID-19 pneumonia and co-infection of that was supported with extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO).

Primary and secondary paediatric hypertension.

High blood pressure (BP) or hypertension is a well known risk factor for developing heart attack, stroke, atrial fibrillation and renal failure. Although in the past hypertension was supposed to develop at middle age, it is now widely recognized that it begins early during childhood. As such, approximately 5-10% of children and adolescents are hypertensive.

Isolated tricuspid regurgitation: a new entity to face. Prevalence, prognosis and treatment of isolated tricuspid regurgitation.

In recent years the tricuspid is no longer considered the "forgotten valve," but nowadays, specialists focused the treatment of tricuspid regurgitation (TR) especially at the time of left heart valve (LHV) surgery, overlooking the emerging entity of isolated TR. Its incidence appears to be rising along with the higher prevalence of atrial fibrillation (AF), intracardiac devices and intravenous drug users. Hence, the aim of the present review is to summarize the available evidences in terms of natural history, clinical presentation and treatment of isolated TR.

Dynamic changes in nocturnal heart rate predict short-term cardiovascular events in patients using the wearable cardioverter-defibrillator: from the WEARIT-France cohort study.

Aims: While elevated resting heart rate measured at a single point of time has been associated with cardiovascular outcomes, utility of continuous monitoring of nocturnal heart rate (NHR) has never been evaluated. We hypothesized that dynamic NHR changes may predict, at short term, impending cardiovascular events in patients equipped with a wearable cardioverter-defibrillator (WCD).

Methods And Results: The WEARIT-France prospective cohort study enrolled heart failure patients with WCD between 2014 and 2018.

Effect of vericiguat on left ventricular structure and function in patients with heart failure with reduced ejection fraction: The VICTORIA echocardiographic substudy.

Aim: Vericiguat significantly reduced the primary composite outcome of heart failure (HF) hospitalization or cardiovascular death in the VICTORIA trial. It is unknown if these outcome benefits are related to reverse left ventricular (LV) remodelling with vericiguat in patients with HF with reduced ejection fraction (HFrEF). The aim of this study was to compare the effects of vericiguat versus placebo on LV structure and function after 8 months of therapy in patients with HFrEF.

Angiographic Features and Clinical Outcomes of Balloon Uncrossable Lesions during Chronic Total Occlusion Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

Balloon uncrossable lesions are defined as lesions that cannot be crossed with a balloon after successful guidewire crossing. We analyzed the association between balloon uncrossable lesions and procedural outcomes of 8671 chronic total occlusions (CTOs) percutaneous coronary interventions (PCIs) performed between 2012 and 2022 at 41 centers. The prevalence of balloon uncrossable lesions was 9.

Landscape of Resistance Mutations in a Real-World Cohort of Patients with Relapsed/Refractory Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia Treated with Venetoclax.

The oral, highly selective Bcl2 inhibitor venetoclax has substantially improved the therapeutic landscape of chronic lymphocytic leukemia (CLL). Despite the remarkable response rates in patients with relapsed/refractory (R/R) disease, acquired resistance is the leading cause of treatment failure, with somatic mutations being the predominant genetic drivers underpinning venetoclax resistance. To assess the correlation between disease progression and the most common mutations G101V and D103Y, sensitive (10) screening for the most common mutations G101V and D103Y was performed in 67 R/R CLL patients during venetoclax single-agent or venetoclax-rituximab combination therapy.

Outcomes of Left Main Revascularization in Patients with Anemia: Gulf Left Main Registry.

Introduction: The aim of this study was to evaluate the effects of baseline anemia and anemia following revascularization on outcomes in patients with unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease.

Methods: This was a retrospective, multicenter, observational study conducted between January 2015 and December 2019. The data on patients with ULMCA who underwent revascularization through percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) or coronary artery bypass graft (CABG) were stratified by the hemoglobin level at baseline into anemic and non-anemic groups to compare in-hospital events.

A Case of Spontaneous Multivessel Coronary Artery Dissection.

Spontaneous coronary artery dissection (SCAD) is a non-traumatic separation of the epicardial coronary arterial wall leading to luminal obstruction with subsequent myocardial ischemia and infarction. Herein, we describe an interesting case of acute coronary syndrome due to multivessel SCAD without an underlying susceptibility or trigger, and review the literature for SCAD management.

Does Gender Affect the Outcomes of Myocardial Revascularization for Left-Main Coronary Artery Disease?

Currently, gender is not considered in the choice of the revascularization strategy for patients with unprotected left main coronary artery (ULMCA) disease. This study analyzed the effect of gender on the outcomes of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) vs coronary artery bypass grafting (CABG) in patients with ULMCA disease. Females who had PCI (n = 328) were compared with females who had CABG (n = 132) and PCI in males (n = 894) was compared with CABG (n = 784).

Multiple ventricular septal defects associated to anomalous venous returns, mitral valve disease, myocardium hypertrophy, and right outflow obstruction: a multimodality imaging assessment.

We report a rare congenital heart disease characterized by multiple ventricular septal defects associated to anomalous systemic and pulmonary venous returns, marked apical myocardial hypertrophy of both ventricles and of right outflow, and hypoplastic mitral anulus. Multimodality imaging is mandatory to assess anatomical details.

Metabolic associated fatty liver disease and cardiovascular risk: The expert opinion of the Working Group on Cardiovascular Pharmacotherapy of the Polish Cardiac Society.

The diagnosis of metabolic associated fatty liver disease (MAFLD) is significant for patients' prognosis, as the disease accelerates the development of cardiovascular complications and, on the other hand, cardiometabolic conditions are risk factors for the development of fatty liver diseases. This expert opinion presents principles of MAFLD diagnosis and standards of management to reduce cardiovascular risks in patients with MAFLD.

Outcomes in Patients With Early Menopause Who Underwent Transcatheter Aortic Valve Implantation.

Early menopause is associated with an increased risk of cardiovascular diseases, including aortic stenosis (AS). We sought to investigate the prevalence and impact of early menopause on clinical outcomes in patients who underwent transcatheter aortic valve implantation (TAVI) for severe symptomatic AS. Women's International TAVI is a multinational, prospective, observational registry of women who underwent TAVI for severe symptomatic AS (n = 1,019).

Comparison of the Results of Cardiopulmonary Exercise Testing between Healthy Peers and Pediatric Patients with Different Echocardiographic Severity of Mitral Valve Prolapse.

Patients with mitral valve prolapse (MVP) have been reported to have exercise intolerance. However, the underlying pathophysiological mechanisms and their physical fitness remain unclear. We aimed to determine the exercise capacity of patients with MVP through the cardiopulmonary exercise test (CPET).

OCTOPUS - Optical coherence tomography plaque and stent analysis software.

Background And Objective: Compared with other imaging modalities, intravascular optical coherence tomography (IVOCT) has significant advantages for guiding percutaneous coronary interventions, assessing their outcomes, and characterizing plaque components. To aid IVOCT research studies, we developed the Optical Coherence TOmography PlaqUe and Stent (OCTOPUS) analysis software, which provides highly automated, comprehensive analysis of coronary plaques and stents in IVOCT images.

Methods: User specifications for OCTOPUS were obtained from detailed, iterative discussions with IVOCT analysts in the Cardiovascular Imaging Core Laboratory at University Hospitals Cleveland Medical Center, a leading laboratory for IVOCT image analysis.

Sustained Mechanical Aspiration Thrombectomy for High Thrombus Burden Coronary Vessel Occlusion: The Multicenter CHEETAH Study.

Background: Poor myocardial reperfusion due to distal embolization and microvascular obstruction after percutaneous coronary intervention is associated with increased risk of morbidity and mortality. Prior trials have not shown a clear benefit of routine manual aspiration thrombectomy. Sustained mechanical aspiration may mitigate this risk and improve outcomes.